Inside San Francisco (Nov 13th, 2019)

Just a reminder that Dreamforce is upon us — that means street closures and likely more traffic and Muni congestion. After all, former President Barack Obama is the keynote speaker. Even though the annual conference doesn't kick off until next Tuesday, some SoMa streets are already roped off so organizers can begin to prepare. To minimize headaches, here's your very own Dreamforce survival guide, and here's more information on what to expect next week.

- Shane

1. Mayor London Breed and the city’s supervisors reached a consensus on how to fix the city’s mental health system, and opposing sides have agreed to drop ballot measures and pursue reform. On one side were Supervisors Hillary Ronen and Matt Haney’s plan called Mental Health SF, which would provide universal mental health care to all city residents in need. On the other side was Breed’s plan called Urgent Care SF, which focused care on 4,000 homeless individuals struggling with both mental health and substance abuse. However, a compromise was reached, and the initiatives will be blended. “We’ve agreed to move the legislation to the board and to narrow who will be eligible for Mental Health SF in exchange for faster implementation,” said Supervisor Ronen. City lawmakers are still determining how to fund Mental Health SF, and a working group was established to help get the initiative off the ground. - BAY CITY NEWS

2. Jeffrey Tumlin has been named the new head of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency. Mayor London Breed is expected to make the official announcement today. SFMTA has been struggling to rebound from a sexual harassment scandal, an operator shortage, and mechanical failures, and Mayor Breed has spent the past year trying to reform the troubled agency. She’s hopeful that her pick, with his 25 years of transit experience, will bring new leadership to SFMTA. Tumlin will step into his new role in December. “I believe Jeffrey is the right person to improve our public transportation, continue making our streets safer, and ensure that our approach is equitable and serves all of our residents across San Francisco,” said Mayor Breed. - SF EXAMINER

3. By The Numbers: The Bay Bridge’s Birthday

The iconic Bay Bridge celebrated a big birthday yesterday. Here’s the story, by the numbers:

83: how many years ago the bridge first opened to traffic

3: how many years it took to construct the bridge

6: the number of months the Bay Bridge opened before the Golden Gate Bridge

220: the number of feet of clearance between the bridge and the bay on the western span

2,310: the number of feet the bridge’s western span stretches

2013: when the replacement eastern span of the Bay Bridge opened

260,000: the estimated number of vehicles that cross the bridge each day

4. The San Francisco Giants named former Philadelphia Phillies manager Gabe Kapler as the team’s new manager, replacing Bruce Bochy, who retired after this past season. Kapler managed the Phillies for two years, where he had a 161-163 record. He was fired from the team after the 2018-2019 season. The news came just one day after Scott Harris was named as the Giants’ new general manager on Monday. - SFGATE

5. Bob’s Donuts is opening a second location in NoPa, at 601 Baker St. (at Fulton). The new Bob’s will open November 14, and unlike Bob’s 24-hour Polk Street location, Baker Street’s Bob’s will only be open from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., due to neighborhood restrictions. Those hours aren't dampening co-owner Aya Ahn’s enthusiasm: "It's a small community, and we want to stay small and connected," she said. - HOODLINE

6. San Jose-based tech company MainStreet is offering employees $10,000 to move out of the Bay Area to work remotely for companies it contracts with. “It’s an incredibly expensive place to live and we thought, ‘This actually isn’t that sustainable,’” said the company’s CEO, Doug Ludlow. To help remote workers feel less isolated, MainStreet said it will rely on video conferencing and shared workspaces in places like Sacramento, Portland and Salt Lake City. - KPIX

7. A massive new Decathlon sporting goods store is opening at 2300 16th St. (at the Potrero Center) on Friday, in the former Office Depot. It’s the chain’s third Bay Area location in under two years. The new 38,370-square-foot retail store is somewhat of an anomaly in 2019, given the battle that brick-and-mortar retailers are said to generally be losing ground against online shopping. However, Decathlon is expanding, and the new store will have mobile checkout, aisle kiosks, and robotic inventory systems. - SF BUSINESS TIMES

8. Here’s a nice Q&A between SF Station’s Flora Tsapovsky and Fort Point Beer’s creative director, Dina Dobkin. The two talk about everything from what it’s like to be a woman working in the beer industry to what it means to lead a beer company’s brand. Dobkin has an interesting story: she immigrated to the U.S. from the former U.S.S.R. when she was 7 years old, she used to work at Airbnb, and Nopa is one of her favorite cocktail bars in the city. - SF STATION

(In other beer-related news (courtesy of Eater SF), Santa Rosa’s Shady Oak Barrel House’s latest beer, aptly named “F*ck PG&E," is getting some attention on Facebook. The more than 400 comments are worth a skim, particularly if you’re into long-winded, emotional reactions from social media users.)

9. If you’re having a hard time keeping up with San Francisco’s changing skyline, here’s a useful map of high-rise projects in the city. According to the story’s authors, there are 14 towers that were either recently completed or are under construction. Before you head to higher ground and try to pick them out of the city’s skyline yourself, read more about each of the 14 projects here first. - CURBED SF

Shane Downing is an award-winning journalist based in Oakland. As a freelance writer, he’s passionate about covering the LGBTQ+ community, at-risk youth and local news. He's a former Hoodline editor, and his work regularly appears in Oakland Magazine and The San Francisco Business Times. When he's not writing, Shane is an avid baker, gardener and tennis player.

1. Mayor London Breed and the city’s supervisors reached a consensus on how to fix the city’s mental health system, and opposing sides have agreed to drop ballot measures and pursue reform. On one side were Supervisors Hillary Ronen and Matt Haney’s plan called Mental Health SF, which would provide universal mental health care to all city residents in need. On the other side was Breed’s plan called Urgent Care SF, which focused care on 4,000 homeless individuals struggling with both mental health and substance abuse. However, a compromise was reached, and the initiatives will be blended. “We’ve agreed to move the legislation to the board and to narrow who will be eligible for Mental Health SF in exchange for faster implementation,” said Supervisor Ronen. City lawmakers are still determining how to fund Mental Health SF, and a working group was established to help get the initiative off the ground. - BAY CITY NEWS